Big Nick Benson, RIP

The guys from Cross Canadian Ragweed recently lost a friend to the war on terror: "Big" Nick Benson was a fighter pilot killed in training to defend his country (after one stint already in Afghanistan).

It's all well and good that the Steve Earles of the world think it's worth exploring the "societal forces" that "caused" John Walker Lindh to commit treason.

But I kind of prefer the sentiment expressed here:

Nick lost his life on October 18th on a training mission off the coast of California. We heard the news right before we took the stage at Stubb's and it shook us to our foundation. You can't explain life or death, you can't question God's plan, all you can do is live the life He blessed us with and thank the people that protect that life.

The justice in Nick's and the other airmen's deaths is that they died doing what they always dreamed of doing - "Protecting the USA" The war is never over, we have what everyone wants...FREEDOM! And whether CNN talks about it or not our brothers, sons, fathers, mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, husbands, and friends are dying to protect our freedom. So wave your flags, say your prayers, and sing your songs for these people.

And unlike the songs I've heard so far from Earle's latest effort, Ragweed's new CD Purple kicks some serious ass.

[Posted at 23:04 CST on 10/29/02] [Link]